Book Title: Science And Jain Philosophy
Author(s): Raksha J Shah, Abhijit Muni, Pooja Banthia
Publisher: International Conference on Science and Jain Philosophy
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EDITORIAL
THE NEED FOR AMALGAMATION OF SCIENCE AND SPIRITUALITY FOR PEACE AND BLISS
It was 7a.m. and as per my usual practice, I gave a click to the you tube link to listen to the Bhaktamar Stotra after finishing my meditation. My son walked up to me with his mobile phone showing me the video of a German lady who is said to heal cancer patients, reciting the Bhaktamar Stotra with clear pronunciations. "Mom! do you believe that such recitations can help heal cancer patients"? You and grandmother recite it daily, what benefits do you get? I told him that we both have faith in what the Tirthankaras, the Enlightened souls, have pronounced, and my son, today science has proved that such auspicious recitations have power to keep you relaxed, reduce the heart beats, brain waves and respiration. Such mantras help release the hormone melatonin which not only helps the healing process but even has the power to help shrinkage of tumors. The scientific explanation convinced him!
In the yester years it was the 'Faith' factor that worked in the acceptance of the verdict of the all knowing Omniscient Tirthankaras. As Drauya ( substance), Kshetra (place), and Kaal (time) change there is bound to be a change in the 'bhaau, (modes/emotions) and the thought process and to accept the change and walk with it is the need of all times.
Today's youth do not take things at face value, they want logical and empirical scientific reasoning to believe in religious precepts. The generation that embraced age-old teachings based on mere faith and respect is now replaced by a more critically thinking population which takes informed decisions on all fronts.
This instance got me thinking about how wonderful and easily palatable it would be, to our future generations, if each of our Jain tenets were backed by proof and scientific evidence.
Two months back, when I first received the invitation for the ICSJP Conference from Samani Chaitanya Prajna, and was briefed about the purpose of BMIRC, I was thrilled to see that our community is truly taking a step in the right direction. The Jain religion is unique in a way that all of its concepts and principles are not dependent on any supreme authority or any single power. It professes that every single individual including you and I have the ability to attain Moksha, just like the Tirthankaras did. It believes in equal respect for all living beings, be they advanced humans or primitive single-celled species. In many ways, these tenets draw parallels to the scientific principles of fostering stability and balance in the ecosystem and aim towards promoting equitable treatment to all living beings.
Scientific research thus far has mainly been focused on tangible and more material-driven outcomes. The benefits of this type of research are no secret. The technological advances we have made with the help of science in today's day and age, have truly made the world come closer than ever before. It can only be imagined therefore, how tremendous the power of scientific research in the intangible fields of prayer, meditation, penance, compassion and forgiveness can be. Several believers swear by these practices and the positive blissful impact of their observance, not only on the self, but also on others around them.
